Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley is one of the many marquee musicians who will perform at the Republik Music Festival in Kakaako. –Courtesy photo
BY ELIZABETH KIESZKOWSKI / ekieszkowski@staradvertiser.com
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley has proven himself worthy of the Marley mystique. Like his father, Bob Marley, Damian is daring, socially aware, inventive and charismatic.
REPUBLIK MUSIC FESTIVAL: ELECTRIC PALMS EDITIONDamian “Jr. Gong” Marley with Santigold, Citizen Cope, Ghetto Youths Crew and Jah Maoli Where: Kakaako Waterfront Park Amphitheater When: 6 p.m. Saturday (doors at 5) Cost: $42.50-$90 in advance from flavorus.com or 855-235-2867 Note: All ages Also: 5:45 p.m. today with Santigold and Inna Vision, Maui Arts & Cultural Center, $42.50-$90 from MauiArts.org or 808-242-7469 (all ages); 7 p.m. Sunday with Santigold, Kilohana Plantation, Kauai, $42.50 from flavorus.com (21+) |
Damian’s 2005 album “Welcome to Jamrock” was a milestone in reggae, melding the dynamic, dangerous feel of hip-hop and the rhythms of Jamaica with bold confidence.
The album included scratching, backing tracks from Sly and Robbie, Eek-A-Mouse, the Skatalites and other classic reggae outfits, and lyrics that took on drugs, exploitation, romantic attraction and a sense of calling. It won two Grammy Awards, and belongs in any list of top recordings of the new millennium.
And while that album was a monster, firmly establishing Damian Marley as a force in reggae, Marley hasn’t rested. He’s moved forward with a host of collaborations, building on his musical beginnings.
Marley headlines the Republik Music Festival in Honolulu on Saturday, part of a three-concert series in Hawaii, backed by his Ghetto Youths Crew.
In 2010, Marley released “Distant Relatives,” a collaboration with hip-hop trendsetter Nas. This album got serious about themes including poverty and the diamond trade, and raised money to build schools in Africa.
This year, Marley collaborated with Skrillex on the track “Make it Bun Them.” Millions of listeners have checked it out on YouTube, Spotify and elsewhere.
“It wasn’t face to face, we exchanged tracks and files over the Net,” Marley said. “But the result of it — it’s the first time I’ve really tried something so way out there in terms of electronic music, but I liked it when the track was done, and other people seemed to. … It was a good experience, because it’s nice to extend yourself out and introduce yourself to new audiences.”
ON THE PHONE from Miami a few days ago, Marley said he’s been spending much time in the studio over the past six months.
He’s patient and soft-spoken in conversation, careful with his words. He speaks in a fine-spun patois, punctuated by gentle laughter.
“We’re working on some music from the Ghetto Youths label, namely Wayne Marshall’s album and (half brother) Stephen Marley’s album, along with a host of EPs from the rest of the crew, so we have a lot of music on the label,” he said. “We’re real excited to get it out to the world and have everyone else hear it.”
He said he plans work on a new album later this year.
“It’s our family business, Stephen and I,” Marley said, “so it’s really our responsibility to reach out and be sure that the music gets heard.”
On the Ghetto Youths International label, the two have released a string of tracks and remixes. Many of them can be heard via Facebook at fb.com/GhettoYouthsInternational, offering a taste of the musical partners’ current interests.
“I’ve never released any music without my brother Stephen giving it the thumbs-up,” Marley said, “so he’s definitely the standard-bearer when it comes down to OK’ing things, so that I know that it’s good to go.”
Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, left, performed alongside Bruno Mars and Rihanna in a tribute to his father, Bob Marley, at the Grammy Awards. –Associated Press / Feb. 10, 2013
LAST MONTH, Damian Marley was named Entertainer of the Year at the International Reggae and World Music Awards in Florida. Next week, he headlines the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in Mendocino, Calif.
In February, Bruno Mars invited Marley to appear at the Grammy Awards in a tribute to Bob Marley alongside Sting, Rihanna and his half brother, Ziggy Marley. Damian toasted, contributing a dexterous verse to embellish his father’s classic song, “Could You Be Loved.”
“It was cool, it was actually very gracious of (Mars) to invite us,” Marley said. “It was the first time I’d been able to perform vocals on the Grammys, so it was a nice experience — good that reggae gets that kind of showcase.”
MARLEY, 34, has a special position in reggae — respected as a musician who spans the past and the future. That status has the potential to heap pressure on any artist, though Marley is unfazed.
“Actually, that’s not pressure, that’s a compliment, you know what I mean,” he said. “Any artist would want to be, I think, admired — because, you know, reggae music would need someone out there to carry the ban and bring the young ones along, so it’s good to be one of the candidates for that slot.
“Reggae music is a spiritual music, and is a way of communicating,” he said, referencing his stated role as a “spiritual revolutionary.”
“Part of my mission as a spiritual revolutionary is to put the differences aside and focus on what we have in common, and build on that.”
His darker songs “show up those who are the conspirators against the common man,” he said, his voice taking on an assertive edge. “Like in Jamaica, and people who are in power in Jamaica. …
“When you bring a more international focus, or a more wider light, wider eyes, on them, there tends to be pressure. So that’s really what I’m trying to do. … It’s expressing that there is a problem, but it’s also trying to find a solution to that problem.”